#NOTD As festive as I'm going to get. Barry M Magnetic Nail Polish

What could be more festive than nail polish the colour of a glittering Christmas Tree? I'm not very good at detail so on my quest for ultimate nail art nirvana I am testing out magnetic nail polishes.

348 Magnetic Green Sparkle£4.99 from BarryM.com

 I think it is a fairly festive colour. (I really am not one for precision and detail, I have neither the time or the patience).

ALWAYS USE A BASE.

I had a nightmare once with green nail varnish. It stained my nails and made me look as if I was moldy. The horrors of getting it off will scar me for life.

I always opt for Nails Inc Hyde Park Base Coat. £12. (Buy it here).

The next step is to layer a thick coat of the varnish and allow it to dry completely.

One thick coat allowed to dry completely.

If you don't let it dry properly then air bubbles start to form and the effect won't work properly. 

Then coat the nail with another thick layer of varnish. IMMEDIATELY hold the magnet over the polish for at least 10 seconds. The lid has a nifty little groove to place your finger in, but be careful not to press to hard as the polish smudges all over the lid. Yes, I am that clumsy.

I have left this photo unfiltered to see how evergreen the colour actually is.I am impressed with the polish, it is fairly thick and dries quickly so I didn't have to wait for too long. 

Set the pattern with a layer of your favourite topcoat and the end result is very effective, I am tempted to get the other colours to mix and match the magnetic pattern, but first I shall wow a lot at the thriftiness of this boutique effect.

How festive are your nails?

Matte Finish: more high-end than rat look.

No one told me that matte black nail polish looks so classy. A subtle change that works well, I'm really pleased with the expensive effect a matte top coat creates.

First a good base is needed. Nails stain easily but the stains can't be removed that easily. Trust me; I've done it too many times to think about it.

Dark nails make fingers look longer and slimmer. I wasn't overly keen on a crackle coat until I bought a lovely gold colour, so wasn't convinced I was going to achieve the Chanel Black Velvet effect I was striving for.

After a recent post I went in search of a mattifying top coat gratefully aided by my beauty loving friends. I had seen an Essie version but was not willing to pay the £8.99 price tag.

Bourjois & Rimmel Matte topcoats.

Well I was just beside myself. Boots had an offer buy one get second half price (I think boots have eventually cottoned on that three items would be considered a haul and therefore frivolous). I opted for the cheaper of the two and made a handy little beauty set how to guide. 

Please do feel free to comment and leave links, have you ever tried matte finish or so matt? What did you think? 

I endeavor to let you know how long this mani lasts!

High-end nails in no time.
with Nails Inc., Rimmel London

I am really surprised with the effect it creates. I'm pretty darn sure Morrissey wouldn't recognise it as a fake. 

Nail Wraps for the National Front Disco

One of my pet hates is painting my toe nails. They all seem to squish up against each other so I end up with painted toes rather than nails. I would do anything to have them done in an instant. I'm so clumsy that I generally steer well clear of nail art that requires precision; the one hand will look fine, well the other? We'd best not mention that.

Nail art is a trend that sooner or later you just have to try. Colour changing nail polish, magnetic patterning polish, holographic, heavy duty glitter, safe to say there is much more than your average UV top coat that was scientific feat way back in the '90s. They even sell nail wraps in Primark now. Encouraged by my last experience: MUA's Nail Constellation in scorpio I gave some cheap glittery nail wraps a try.

When I bought them I found I had to wade through big piles of patriotic union flag nail stickers and foils. There has been a very specific trend that glued itself to the country's nails for two whole weeks this year; the one where everyone, I MEAN EVERYONE tried to paint a union flag on one, if not all of their nails! I just wore the earrings and a tee shirt I thought revolutionary in 2004. 

Anyway. I tried nail wraps and they worked! All you need to do is choose the right size, possibly shape too. Most seemed to fit my nails nicely even if I did have to jump two spaces on the nail scale leaving me with the thought that my feet are really strange. After that you fold the excess wrap over and file downwards until the nail peeps through. It makes the wrap perforate and separate from the nail easily. Seal it with a top coat 'for a longer lasting effect' or in my case to stop me peeling off the sticker that it really is!

Despite the weird toes I think it is quite a good effect. No painful toe separators needed, just a little bit of patience and a nail file. Now I know I'm no expert but I could do them!

WE ALL KNOW I LOVE A BIT OF GLITTERING GOLD LEOPARD PRINT.

I'm saving my finger nails for a treat with a matte top coat tomorrow, but that's for another time.

Have you tried anything new? You should, you could surprise yourself!

Budget Beauty Wishlist #1

Bereft of brain space to think up a witty title.

So as I have been wandering the blogosphere I have discovered how beauty bloggers work. Key words are: haul, swatch, wishlist, trend oh and not forgetting giveaway! This afternoon I went to look at make up in my local town centre. It's a good hobby; so many free sprays.

I was planning to do swatches on my arm and take photos but the rain and the angry Newportonians soon put me off doing that. The trouble with Newport is the lack of a good department store.  The only one,'Wildings',is a scene straight out of  'Are You Being Served?' The problem caused by the lack of a good department store is the the scarcity of high-end make up to try and well I just love high-end make up and fragrance. (I especially like trying it for free.)

As I brave the internet sales torture I am going to compile a high-end wish list and a budget wishlist. I thought of this when I tested some cosmetics at your standard boots make up counter. (Note, and note well that I did not look at Boots No7 or the the tiny clinque bar - strictly High Street if you will.)

Lusting over Chanel's 'Black Velvet' nail polish for too long before I realise it was only a special edition will teach me not to try things sooner.

As modeled here by the beautiful Karen-O. So I know right, I know I want the Kate Moss lipstick with matte black nails. Superb. Make the bling stand out even more, right? The Chanel one isn't to be found, especially in the deepest darkest depths of Newport. It came out over a year ago, would it be retro to bring it back? 

Had my paws all over the nails inc. and OPI websites. Do you think I could find one? NO. How could you make a polish go matte? Oh Essie, they have the answer to everything nail related.

Essie's matte about you in Superdrug. £8.99. I'm sure I have seen it cheaper but I can't remeber the brand. Still I suppose I could make any of my polishes have a matte appearance with this and not just have a rarely used Chanel piece in my polish collection. 

This happens to be another budget beauty item on my wishlist.

I saw Rimmel London's gel pot eyeliner in aubergine priced at a reasonable £6.49 in Boots and Superdrug, both of which have associated cosmetics offers. It is a rich pigmented waterproof liner that takes some work to get moved! The best thing about the product is the brush which is kept in the lid. No more fussing and finding the tiny applicator brushes you get with other sorts of liner that comes from a pot. I have this in black, and violet or aubergine rather will look rather spectacular against my deep brown eyes. Sometimes, it's a handy trick to dip a kohl pencil in the pot and use that to set the eyeliner in place. 

I'm looking forward to 'doing a haul' and sharing the results. Tell me of any budget beauty finds you keep on your wishlist or links to your blog. I like them too!

This blogging malarkey is catching on, addictive isn't it?

Scorpio Rising?

MUA's Nail Constellation - Scorpio

 Nail art is so popular these days. I remember not so long ago begging Sally Hansen via the medium of twitter to release their nail foils in the UK. Now you can even buy them in Primark for under a pound. So like me to be late to the party, I've totally skipped over half moon manicures and am heading to space with MUA's nail constellation.

I have bought the Scorpio colour scheme. (Someone once described me as having a bauble of every cololur on my Christmas Tree.) This seemed to be the most fitting for me. So I sat down to do my manicure, totally wary of the mess it was going to make but also a little excited by the thought of childishly playing with glue and glitter.

Firstly, I went through the usual routine of coating my nails in a strengthening base coat. One painful lesson I learned after an experience with stained nails and bleach is to  ALWAYS USE A BASE. I painted my nails with a generic pinky-purple colour first because I am always destined to miss a spot. Shaking the little pot felt a bit like shaking a full and stuck ketchup bottle. I mean you really have to do it with quite some force.

I was expecting the tiny little balls (which you are essentially gluing to your nails) to go everywhere. It was a stroke of genius to do to it in the lego box lid that my 'bling pallette' is kept in. Although next time I think I shall line it with a piece of card for even easier use.

Once I'd got the hang of squeezing the mini-blings on to the nail I had obviously spilled a load too. So I dipped my nails into the pool of glittery balls. Initially I was thinking of doing only one finger on each hand but I got carried away with the play.

Now I am not the greatest nail artist, but it was a relatively easy and fun way of making my nails blingin' bruv. The purple, gold, lilac and green baubles are supposed to resemble a 'constellation of stars' and it pretty much does. Every shake produces a unique pattern on the nails. Then you press them into the layer of tacky nail polish, not forgetting to set with lashings of clear top coat. I'm not even going to give thought to the ordeal that getting them off will be.

This product is alarmingly cheap, so I'll perfect the shiny mini blings look by the Strictly Final! You can buy this product from superdrug at a verrrrry reasonable three pounds.

I'm so tempted to go back in and take advantage of Superdrug's wonderful 3 for 2 cosmetics offer and try some more MUA polishes. 

On the plus side I feel like my nails wouldn't go amiss on the Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor. My nails are extremely blingy without lots of mess. Add to the bling with an item from my wishlist! My ultimate phone case.. Oooooh magpie, MAGPIE!

Stop me, oh, stop me....................